Petr Pyšek is a distinguished plant ecologist and internationally recognized authority on biological invasions with profound influence across global ecological research communities. He currently serves as Professor of Ecology at the Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Průhonice where he has led the Department of Invasion Ecology since 2004 while also maintaining a professorship at Charles University in Prague. Following the completion of his PhD at the Institute of Applied Ecology, Czech Agricultural University in 1992, he joined the Institute of Botany in 1996 and rapidly advanced through significant leadership roles including Deputy Director from 2004 to 2011 and membership in the Learned Society of the Czech Republic since 2011. His distinguished career reflects both deep scholarly commitment and exceptional institutional leadership within the Czech scientific community.
Professor Pyšek's groundbreaking research has fundamentally transformed invasion ecology through systematic frameworks that elucidate the complex dynamics of biological invasions across ecosystems. His development of standardized scoring schemes for assessing the impacts of invasive plants and animals has provided essential methodological tools for ecological risk assessment and environmental management worldwide. As architect of the Global Database of Naturalized Alien Plants GloNAF he has created an indispensable resource facilitating comparative studies across continents and advancing our understanding of species naturalization patterns and habitat invasibility. With over 102,000 citations and an h index of 148 his scholarly contributions represent extraordinary impact and have established foundational knowledge in understanding factors determining the spread of alien species and the role of species traits in plant invasions.
Beyond his research excellence Professor Pyšek has profoundly shaped the ecological sciences community through his editorial leadership as Editor in Chief of Preslia the journal of the Czech Botanical Society a position he has held since 1999. His receipt of the prestigious Czech Head Award acknowledges his exceptional scientific contributions to national and international environmental science as documented in major publications including high impact research in Nature Ecology and Evolution. He maintains an extensive collaborative network with researchers across the globe evidenced by numerous multinational publications on critical ecological questions from mycorrhizal fungi influences on plant geography to global patterns of biological invasions. Professor Pyšek continues to advance ecological science through his department's innovative research initiatives mentorship of emerging scientists and provision of expert guidance to national and international environmental policy frameworks ensuring his enduring influence on the future of invasion ecology.
